Forty-year-old Kazuhiro Watanabe says he’s been growing the hair for 15 years. He says to make it stand upright it takes stylists two hours, one can of gel and three cans of hairspray. He says he wanted to grow the mohawk to rebel against the conformity of Japanese society.

Watanabe has held the title since January 2011.

His appearance in Washington Square Park was to promote the newest version of the Guinness World Records book, which for the first time includes him.